Mask-An Attack on Titan Fan Fiction

Chapter Two

I entered the male barracks and was instantly pummeled by the overwhelming whiff of body odor.

"Oi!" I coughed out, "Use some deodorant!"

Deep laughter met my ears.

"Are you not used to the scent of victory, Larsson?" chuckled a tall boy with tousled sandy hair.

"Victory?" I smirked, "I didn't realize that you had to break a sweat in order to vanquish an hour of just standing. I can't wait to see you battle the titans."

I rolled my eyes and flung my sack onto an open bunk. A few other boys laughed, but quickly shut up when the boy glared over at them.

"I bet you wouldn't last two seconds out there with those beasts."

I wanted to ignore him, but my brain was telling me not to. A boy would defend himself. A boy wouldn't give someone the silent treatment.

"I doubt that 'those beasts' would last two seconds out there with me," I jibed back.

He snorted, then turned away and lay down on his bunk, slightly red in the face.

I grinned and went back to unpacking my bag.

"An attitude like that will get you chucked out," said a puny albino boy sitting on the bunk across from me.

The hulking figure below him kicked the mattress the boy sat on, causing the albino to flinch.

"I'm Nori Smithe," the albino boy said unsmilingly, "The rock below me is Franz Kefka. He may look like a tough one, but has a heart of gold."

This remark earned his mattress another kick.

"Shut up," called Franz, "Don't ruin my reputation!"

Two other boys walked in, shoulder to shoulder. One was a mass of muscle, with a blond buzz cut. The second boy was slightly taller with olive skin and brown hair. They instantly claimed two bunks and began conversing in low voices. More boys trickled in, sometimes laughing and joking, others tight-lipped and serious. One such pair was a short blond boy and a brunette boy. They both were hardly talking, but the brunette boy had a look that I had seen before, one of triumph. He bore his determination like a badge.

I lay down on my bed, trying my best not to look as the boys stripped off their clothes and changed into sleepwear. While they did so, I heard the boy from earlier chuckling.

"What if we pulled a prank on the girls?" he inquired, unbuttoning his shirt.

His eyes roved across the room, looking for someone to support him. A few people laughed and nodded. The two tall boys didn't change expression, and I could tell they disapproved.

"What about you, Smart-Mouth?" the boy pounded against my bunk.

I rolled over. "Thanks, but no."

"Why not Smart-Mouth? Are you scared?"

"You wish," I muttered.

"HEY!" the boy bellowed, "Smart-Mouth's a scaredy-cat!"

I rolled my eyes and sat up.

"For your information," I snapped, "This is a military academy, not a summer camp. If you even set foot in the girl's barracks, you'll be shipped off to the fields in a second. I, unlike yourself, actually want to fight for humanity. You can go on your merry way, but don't come crying to me when Shadis catches you."